Bearing for accurately running shafts using ball bearings



K. JUNG Jam. W330 BEARING FOR ACCURATELY RUNNING SHAFTS USING BALL BEARINGS Filed May 20. 1930 only, so that the Patented Jan. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES KARL JUNG, or BERLIN, GERMANY BEARING FOR ACCURATELY RUNNING SHAFTS USING'IBALL BEARINGS Application filed May 20, 1930, Serial No.

Adjustable ball bearings for accurately running shafts are already known in which one ball race is axially movable to allow any play in the bearing to be compensated for.

5 It has already been proposed to eifect the adjustment of the bearing automatically. The

known devices of this type depend for their operation upon springs or wedges or similar pressure devices. The disadvantage of these devices is that the suspension of the bearing is uneven and must be separately effected for each group of bearings.

he present invention has for its object to provide a completely satisfactory adjustment of the ball bearings and consists in replacing the mechanical pressure means by liquid or gaseous means (air, oil, grease, etc.). When using compressed air, this may be moistened with oil and small vents provided "so that a part of the air flows over the moving surfaces and there gives up its oil, whereby even and thorough lubrication of the moving parts is effected.

v The device may also be used for simulta-,

neously cooling the bearing b allowing the pressure medium which is fe er pressure. Only the difference in" pressure is then effective but the continuous circulathe cooling of the whole bearing.

in the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a-longitudinal section through a bearing in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a part of Figure 1 in a somewhat modified construction,

embodiment of the invention is shown Fig. 3 is a cross section through Figure 1..

a is the shaft on which the races 61, b2, b3, Z14 of the four ball bearings are mounted. The inner races 62, 63 rest a ainst projections or shoulders on the shaft. etweenthe pairs of races spacing rings 01 and 02'are arranged which maintain the races at the, correct distance from each other; the outer races 61 and 64 rest against end caps d and e which are threaded onto the shaft. The outer races f1, f2, f3, f4 are, in known manner, so constructed that they bear a ainst the balls on one side arings can be taken up by in at a given pressure, to flow out again at a'relatively lowtion of fresh cooled pressure medium efiects .to the outer casing 454,019, and in Germany March 7, 1930.

axially adjusting these races. According to the invention annular pistons are provided which automatically eifect this ad ustment under the influenceof a pressure liquid or compressed air. The annular piston g is formed pot shaped; its outer edge encircles the outer race fl and its shoulder rests against the side surface of the race f1. The race f2 is encircled by a similar annular piston it having an inwardly projecting flange which rests against the inner surface of the race f2.

tween the adjacent faces of the two annular pistons g and k is a space into which the pressure liquid or; compressed air is introduced.

In the bearings shown on the left of the drawing the shoulders are on the inside; consequently, f1 and f2 must be forced apart, and this may be eifected by introducing pressure medium lntp [the gap provided between the parts 9 an On the other side,-the outer races 3 and f4 are so arranged that to effect the a justment the races must be approached to each other. For this purpose an annular pot-shaped piston z' is provided which encircles both races and has a shoulder which rests against the race I f3. A ring 7:. is also provided which is secured, by means for 'm enclosing the entire bearing. Between the ring is and the shell i an annular space is provided which can be filled by a pressure medium. In this case, as the race f4 is prevented from moving to the right by a nut 0 which is threaded onto the outer casing m, the race i3 is pressed towards the race f4. To allow the introduction of the pressure medium a bore p is provided in the outer casing m which on the left hand side is connected through a bore with the annular s and h and on the right hand side communicates through the bores in the nipple r wlth the annular space between'k 'an 2'. The nipple 1' serves for the introduction of the pressure medium.

The bore p may suitably be constructed in the manner shown in Figure 3;'that is a example, of a pin n,

ace between the parts 9- casing m and is then closed from without by a cover plate at which is secured to the easing m by welding soldering or hammering thus forming the groove t into a closed channel. Naturally, as shown in Figure 3, a number of such channels it, for example two, may be distributed over the periphery.

The device can also be used for simultaneously lubricating the moving surfaces. For this purpose, air moistened with oil is preferably used as the pressure medium, and. small clearances z are arranged at suitable positions so that the air penetrates through these clearances and there gives up the oil or grease it contains which then serves for lubrication. Naturally, such lubrication can also be effected by using oil as the pressure medium. The amount of air and oil passing through these clearances 2 may be small de pending upon various conditions and requirements. The pressure however does not build up behind the bearings for the reason that the air escapes between the caps d or e and nut 0 since the caps are screwthreadedl on the shafts. Therefore a small clearance between the cap and nut leaves the'so-called bearing rooms in communication with the atmosphere.

The device can also be used for simultaneously cooling the bearing. Such an em-.

bodiment is shown in Figure 2.

In this embodiment, moreover,

separate annular pistons for displacing the outer ball races are not provided as in the above described embodiments. but the race itself is so formed that the pressure medium acts directly upon it. sponds with Figure 1, the same reference characters are used. It will be seen that the annular piston i of Figure 1 is here united with the race f3 to form a member '0, so that the pressure oil is introduced into the annular space between the ring 1: and the race 1; formed as a piston.

The oil or like pressure medium is here also supplied through the bore 8. However, an outlet to for the oil is also provided on the casing m. The outlet can be controlled by a cock or other throttling device :21. The outlet pipe w is connected through a bore 3 with the other similar hearing. which is supplied with the same pressure medium.

The throttling device a: is so set that the pressure medium flows out through the pipe M at a lower pressure than that at which it flows in through the pipe 8. It follows that only the difference in pressure between the incoming and the outgoing pressure medium serves to take up the bearing, but that fresh, preferably cooled, pressure medium is continuously flowing in, which efiectsa permanent cooling of the bearin Preferably, as shown in 516 drawing, separate annular pistons or the like are used to displace the two outer ball races, it is however possible in a suitably modified device to So far as the device corre-' allow the pressure medium to act directly against the side surfaces of the races to be displaced.

I claim 1. A bearing for a shaft, comprising a plurality of inner races rotating with the shaft, a plurality of outer races corresponding radially with the inner races and stationary relative to the shaft, anti-friction bearing elements between the races, means for moving each outer race axially relative to its inner race, said means being controlled by a pressure medium, and means for feeding the pressure medium.

2. A hearing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for axially moving the races comprises annular pistons bearing against the sides of the races.

3. A bearing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for axially moving the races comprises annular pistons bearing against the sides of the races, the pistons being spaced from each other, and means for feeding the pressure medium into the spaces.

4. A hearing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the races have the form of annular pistons, the pistons being spaced so as to permit the pressure medium to be introduced there between.

5. A hearing as set forth in claim 1, comprising means to lead the pressure medium from the races to the bearing elements for the purpose of lubricating the latter.

6. A bearing as set forth in claim 1, comprising means for feeding compressed air moistened with a lubricant.

7. A hearing as set forth in claim 1, comprising outlet means for the pressure medium, and means for controlling the outlet means so that the pressure medium enters the bearing at a higher pressure than that at which it leaves.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si ature.

KARL J NG. 

